Peace & Tranquility Dead Ahead

09Dec

I’m feeling like I opened my eyes and there was this other person inside. I think this can be attributed to a busy life that had me all caught up. But now I’m on hiatus. Re-energizing. Coming out of free-lance project and landing in a new place. I’m dropping anchor cause I’m staying for a spell.

About two weeks ago I finished the final event for the New Day Campaign, and I’ve been in full STOP ever since. I feel like I’ve been in a 2 year project mode. First there was “The Telling Project,” and then “Waxter Wisdom,” and the “New Day Campaign” brought everything back home. I finished my last Waxter Wisdom portrait (writing/directing AND acting), Wilma Rudolph. And read a 20 minute excerpt fro “B-Sideman,” and then directed “Combat” with Nick and Lisa Lutwytche, Fred Foote and Ellen Cherry providing music. Everything went as well as I could hoped. The reading was ESPECIALLY poignant. I am very assured now that “B-Side” is a crowd-pleaser. It has so many healtfelt and personal revelations. So, so many. And the ending takes my breath away. And I’m just reading the damn thing! I never knew that Charles’ passing would be the catalyst to this extended performance monologue monster of a play.

I spoke with Alan Kreizenbeck (neighbor and college prof in theatre at the Univ. of Maryland Baltimore-County (my old spot) and he’s willing to direct me in it for the Baltimore Fringe Festival next fall. I’m game for that. It won’t get done otherwise, and that’ll give me enough time to learn it. I’m happy about that.

The other events were labors of love, that had lots of time and emotional elements. Everytime I sat down at a New Day event I felt touched and very, very blessed. And I don’t toss around “very, very blessed” willy-nilly. The audiences had, for the most part, all come through some kind of catharsis. And I was one of them, too.

A few weeks ago I was on an Arts Panel for the Frostburg Indie Lit Festival. I spoke from the dramatic experience about “character.” One of the authors on the panel invited me to be on a panel for his Festival this Summer.

All I did was speak up a little about theater and next thing I’ve got an invite to do it again. Somebody must be living right. But that’s a ways away. Much as winter is calling me to hibernate, something tells me another calling may walk up and introduce itself. Though down time feels unspeakably refreshing, my own sense of “gotta do this while I still can” has burst through the prison gates. We’ll see who wins this showdown.